The present invention relates to a two-part interlocking handle assembly that enables the user to quickly attach or detach flexible handle straps, such as those common on soft-sided luggage and sport bags. The handle assembly provides strain relief while carrying the bag by distributing the load more evenly and comfortably across the fingers and palm of the hand. The handle assembly's quick detach feature provides easy access to the bag's main opening that is between the handle straps.
Previous interlocking handles have been designed, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,904 to Pratt. The Pratt handle, having a cradle design, involves two interlocking pieces where one piece fits almost entirely in a recessed channel in the second piece. Thus, to interlock the pieces of the Pratt handle when carrying a bag, a user must raise one piece above the other to get it into the recessed channel. Another disadvantage of the Pratt handle is that it requires two different molds to manufacture the two different-shaped handle pieces.
The present invention, in contrast, allows the user to interlock the pieces at the same height. Additionally, the handle pieces can be manufactured from the same mold, making the handle assembly more economical to produce.